Microsoft Slashes Prices for Azure VMs and Blob Storage Options

Microsoft's F1-16 series of VM have received a price cut of up to 26%, while the A1 series is as much as 51% cheaper. This combines with Azure Blob Hot and Cold storage cuts of 38 and 26 percent, respectively.

Last year, Microsoft’s Scott Guthrie reiterated that its cloud competition with Amazon is in features, not price. Despite this, the company has a pressure to provide the cheapest service, and today we have seen further proof of that.

The company has made significant price cuts across its Azure virtual machines and blob storage. Compute-optimized instances, including the F1-16 and A1 Basic series have seen reductions.

The savings are as high as 26% on Linux F series Linux VMs, while Windows has a price reduction of up to 18%. Cuts to A1 basic are even heavier, with a reduction of 42% on Linux and 51% on Windows.

Soon to come are changes to the D-series instances, though it’s not clear how significant they will be.

Azure Blob Storage

These savings combine with cheaper Azure Storage options. Both Hot and Cool Block Blob storage are seeing new prices for those with Azure Blob accounts. The price reductions are significant once more, Hot Block Blob falling by 26%, and Cool by up to 38%.

Exact percentages for both storage and VMs will vary depending on the region. Microsoft is basing its calculations on the UK South region, which is likely to have the biggest change.

Still, it’s hard to complain about a price reduction of any kind, and this should make things more affordable for users. The changes are in effect already, and you can find specific prices on the Azure Pricing page.

Azure users may also want to transfer their data from General Purpose Blob to Hot or Cold to reflect the changes. Microsoft recommends a lot like AZ Copy for this. Further information about all the changes is on the Azure blog.

Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.